The Bismarck School Board tonight approved a School Reentry Plan to start school face-to-face in August unless directed otherwise by health officials. 

The Board reviewed this week’s feedback from parents and staff. Of the 3,500 people who responded, most of them parents, the feedback shows support for how each section of the plan was defined (4 or 5 points on a 5-point scale):

• Face-to-Face Learning: 70.5% (in school, in person learning)
• Hybrid Plan: 65% (some in person, some distance learning)
• Online-Blended: 66% (online; primarily off campus)
• Distance Learning: 64% (complete distance learning; parents opt in)

The Superintendent made a 2-hour presentation to the Board that contained the survey data and additional information for all PreK through 12^th grade students. Dr. Jason Hornbacher also outlined Decision-Making Guidelines for classroom, team, school or district closures. Here is his presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XITX0gF_q37thawes-oEiHJK6E-wqeEnbmFbSzANirU/edit.

Sections in yellow on the Fall Reentry Plan presented to the Board tonight were revised or added since the draft plan was released earlier this week, or they are highlighted as being important information for parents and staff. Here is a link to that plan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ydyoKSNImi9vkjWB17HN0eNAMKmPe4vZVMqg3bxLGHc/edit#.

Bismarck Public Schools in conjunction with Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health will require the use of cloth face masks when 6-foot social distancing cannot be maintained. Although masks are required, BPS will continue to work with Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health to determine appropriate protocols for our various settings. 

The Board also approved starting school for the first full day on Monday, August 31^st for all PreK-12^th grade students. August 26-28 will be used for staff training and a “soft opening” for some students, for example, perhaps incoming elementary, middle and high school students for a meeting or tour sometime during those three days.

Tonight’s meeting was recorded and will be available at https://dakotamediaaccess.org/ once it’s scheduled for broadcast. Many parent and staff questions were answered during this meeting, so please take time to watch it and be informed.

Dear parent/guardian,
BPS decided not to do virtual meetings today with parents and staff. We have collated data from the previous Parent & Staff Surveys, as well as the Building/Department meetings held last week and today. Instead, we decided to optimize staff and parent feedback by posting a DRAFT of our Fall Reentry Plan and gathering your feedback at this time.

1. We recommend you read this entire email first, then review the Feedback document link below which contains updated BPS information, then read the DRAFT Fall Reentry Plan, and complete the Feedback Form, in that order. Feedback is due by noon Wednesday, July 29.

BPS Restart Plan Feedback Form - https://bit.ly/BPSRestartFeedback

BPS 2020-2021 School Restart Draft Plan - https://bit.ly/BPSRestartDraft

The School Board will meet this Thursday, July 30, at 5:30 pm to review the BPS Reentry Plan, which will be revised pending all feedback. 

2. If your intent is to register for Distance Learning instead of Face-to-Face instruction this fall, call 701-323-4101 to register tomorrow through Friday, July 31 from 9 am to 4 pm. Information explaining the Distance Learning Model is in the Draft Reentry Plan link above. If you do NOT call to register in distance learning, your child(ren) will be enrolled in the face-to face learning option.

NOTE: All information collected from surveys, feedback forms, and staff meetings will be used to create the final BPS Reentry Plan.

ALSO: please pay special attention in the document to the August 26-28 “soft reopening” which will now be used for staff training, etc. The first full day of school is now August 31st for all PreK-12 students!

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work through thousands of questions and decisions.

Thanks to those of you who filled out our Reentry Survey. Over 12,000 parents, 1,600 staff and 100 community members completed the surveys.

Below are the survey results and BPS next steps. Please NOTE:

1. The TOP of the slide says whether it’s from the Staff, Parent or Community Survey.
2. NEXT STEPS will include gathering additional feedback from parents and staff, so nothing is final yet.
3. LATER this month, we will ask parents to register if they want to do Distance Learning. No need to register if they are sending children to school and following the Blended Model (see slides 18-20).

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/198FxVvfbVoMlBKDtehux_6BxTh8YKbn7m0SNNDUA-q0/edit?ts=5f174306

PS: Tonight’s School Board workshop to review the survey data and next steps was recorded and will be replayed later this week at https://dakotamediaaccess.org/.

Governor Burgum today released new guidelines for schools to start this fall. They were developed in conjunction with the ND Department of Public Instruction and ND Department of Health. School districts must develop Health and Safety Plans and Distance Learning Plans that are approved by the local school board and posted on the school district website. BPS will continue to work on its plans according to the timeline below.

New ND Smart Restart Guidelines for Education: https://www.nd.gov/dpi/sites/www/files/documents/Covid-19/NDK12restartguide.pdf

NEW BPS TIMELINE for Fall Reentry Plan:

• Parent & Staff Surveys: to be texted & emailed tomorrow (Wed. 7/15/20). Deadline to respond: Sunday, July 19, 2020 at 5 pm.
• Community Survey: to be emailed to a representative group this week. Deadline to respond: Sunday, July 19, 2020 at 5 pm.
• BPS Reentry Plans: to the Bismarck School Board for approval tentatively later in the week of July 20-24.

School Board Meeting Brief (from last night, Monday, July 13, 2020):

The Bismarck School Board heard a report on fall reentry. Superintendent Jason Hornbacher thanked the media outlets for their assistance in messaging the August school restart.  He commented on BPS having the tenants of a reentry plan. After the Governor makes a decision, BPS will finalize the plan with the Board. In the meantime, staff and parents will receive a survey, as well as some members of the community.  An improved version of distance learning will be used if the state is in the red/orange COVID stage. On the other end of the spectrum is blue/green or the new normal of face-to-face education. Yellow is a hybrid stage—part in school and part online instruction.

The Northridge Elementary School renovation and addition is coming along. Painting and ceiling work is near completion in the corridors and the library media center is being framed. The elevator foundation has been poured and the parking lot grading is being completed. Curb and gutter will be done next week.

The Focus on Success was on the BPS Child Nutrition program and the United Way/Community Action Backpack Programs for weekend meals for students. BPS fed students every day during COVID and expanded from 8 sites to 24 sites including frozen meals that could be cooked at home. In March and April, total meals served daily was 117,613, growing to 128,824 in May. This summer, meals are being served at 20 sites through July 24^th. The June meal count was 73,294, for a 15-month total of 319,731. The Backpack Programs provide approximately 900 BPS students with kid-friendly food items like peanut butter and jelly, fruit cups, canned dinners, cereal, yogurt, etc.

Karl Lembke was elected president of the School Board for the coming year. Jon Lee will be vice president. New members Donnell Preskey Hushka and Dan Eastgate were sworn in. Matt Sagsveen is also a board member. The board’s Global Operational Expectation and Emergency Superintendent Succession were both approved as in compliance, and the Board extended the Superintendent’s contract for two years. 

Message from Dr. Jason Hornbacher, Superintendent: https://www.wevideo.com/view/1770191719